Evolutionary biologist and famed herpetologist David Wake died on April 29 at his home in Oakland, California, at the age of 84. His wife of 52 years reports to The New York Times that he died of organ failure after a resurgence of cancer. Wake was highly regarded in his field and named 144 salamander species throughout his career.
Born June 8, 1936, in South Dakota, Wake was taught a love for the natural world by his mother, a high school biology teacher. He attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and intended to become an entomologist. However, when he started looking under logs for certain beetles, he came face to face with salamanders and knew what he truly wanted to study, Berkeley News reports. After graduating in 1958, he attended the University of Southern California for his graduate work and earned his PhD in 1964.
Wake met Marvalee Hendricks, ...
